Equality, diversity and inclusion strategy 2020-24

We are committed to working with our residents, businesses and partners to make sure that Warrington is accessible, welcoming and provides opportunities for everybody.

This strategy sets out how we will achieve this vision through the delivery of our equality objectives and priorities 2020-2024. These are an integral part of the organisation and link closely with our Corporate Strategy. They guide the work we carry out and show our commitment to challenging inequality and promoting a fair and inclusive town. They also demonstrate our commitment to the Public Sector Equality Duty contained within the Equality Act 2010.

Our strategic equality group is responsible for the delivery of the objectives and priorities. Delivery of the objectives and priorities will be reviewed on a regular basis. Some of the priorities will be monitored through our performance management framework.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Objectives and Priorities 2023

Equality Objectives:

• Provide opportunities to improve life chances
• Work with our partners and businesses to improve accessibility and tackle discrimination

Priority 1

Priority 2

Priority 3

Equality objective

Priority 1 - Contribute to and shape the new Integrated Care System (ICS) Population Health and Place Development Programme for Warrington

1. Work with place partners in the new integrated health and social care structure to identify, develop and deliver equality, diversity and inclusion pledges.
2. Support system work with PA Consulting to embed Population Health Management as a way of working.

Priority 2 - Tackling inequalities and health and wellbeing

1. Improve life expectancy and health and wellbeing by
   • Promote good health, management of health, healthy choices and physical activity
   • Maximise opportunities to deliver an integrated Public Health Prevention Model to better address the causes of poor health and inequality including housing, neighbourhoods and public protection.
   • Assess the impact of COVID-19 on population wellbeing and promote positive mental wellbeing messages and services across all settings
   • Provide advice and support to the Long Covid Support Group
   • Conduct suicide surveillance, especially in relation to the impact of COVID-19, activate community response plans as relevant
   • Commission a number of large Public Health services, including drugs and alcohol services and new healthy child programme 0-25 years public health commissioned services.
   • Minimise the harm of tobacco on communities through the delivery of the Warrington Tobacco Control Plan
2. Development of a complex needs hub to improve mental health support for children with complex needs
3. Delivery of the Children’s Social Care Plan
4. Promote the importance of collecting equality monitoring information across all protected characteristics amongst all health professionals in Warrington
5. Improve life chances for children in care and care leavers. This work will include housing, sustainable well paid employment and safeguarding.
6. Support Warrington Wellbeing to continue to deliver its work supporting refugees and other commissioned services e.g. dementia and high intensity users.
7. Embed the Living Well in Warrington approach to ensure it has a central role in all provision
8. Protect the elderly from falling victim to doorstep crime so that they can continue to feel safe to live in their own home
9. Continue to implement the Carers Strategy 2021-2024

Priority 3 - Improving accessibility

1. Work with council partners to increase the number and variety of employment opportunities for adults with learning disabilities and autism.
2. Focus on recovery and transformation of day and respite support services for adults post pandemic
3. Further develop our local accommodation and learning offer for adults and young people in transition with complex needs so they can live locally
4. Complete an expansion programme of learning disability and mental health support and accommodation.
5. Improve access to domestic abuse support services for all protected characteristics.

Equality objective:

• Promote and Foster an Inclusive Working Environment for our Workforce

1. Support the health and mental wellbeing of all staff as follows:-
   • Undertake an equality impact assessment on the impact on staff of hybrid working arrangements including the impact on new starters and those staff who have caring responsibilities.
   • Explore the feasibility of developing, implementing and promoting a mental health strategy. The strategy will include actions to support staff who have caring responsibilities and/or have a challenging front line job role.
   • Support staff who have been diagnosed with Long Covid.
   • Develop options on training /awareness /guidance to educate staff about the menopause, including considering the role of staff support groups and managers being educated on the issues
2. Consider the organisational approach to Female Career Development. This will include delivery of a new leadership development programme to support career development, and taking account of equality issues including our gender pay gap.
3. Deliver an equality, diversity and inclusion training programme for councillors and employees. This work will include racial literacy and LGBTQIA+ language and terminology.
4. Strengthen the Council’s approach to undertaking equality impact assessments to help improve services and make sure they are accessible to all residents. This work will include staff training.
5. Support all council officers to undertake training on website/digital accessibility, to ensure that public information across the council website is as easy to access and understand as possible Establishment of mandatory training module for accessibility

Public sector equality duty report

This document helps to demonstrate how we are meeting the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in the Equality Act 2010. This duty requires us to publish information relating to people who share a protected characteristic who are affected by our policies and practices. The duty also requires us to publish information relating to employees who share a protected characteristic. Protected characteristics are defined as: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and marriage and civil partnership.

Equality impact assessments

An equality impact assessment is a way of understanding and assessing the impact that services, strategies, and functions have on different people who are protected by the Equality Act 2010. Equality impact assessments help us to understand whether our services are meeting everyone’s needs, and how they are provided to individuals and different sections of the community.